The new leadership of the FDP, headed by Wolfgang Kubicki, is facing considerable obstacles in its attempt to steer the party back into the Bundestag. According to a recent Forsa survey conducted for RTL and “Stern” only one in four citizens (25 percent) trusts the Liberals under their new chairman for a political comeback and the reappearance above the five-percent electoral threshold.
This finding demonstrates a notable decrease in skepticism toward the FDP, even more than a year after the party lost its parliamentary representation. The party continues to struggle with its political realignment, having remained below the five-percent mark in nationwide polls after failing to secure seats in the parliament. Kubicki, a long-time Vice President of the Bundestag and one of the FDP’s most recognizable faces, is tasked with giving the party renewed momentum.
Skepticism is particularly high among supporters of the SPD (80 percent), The Left (76 percent), and the Greens (75 percent). Even among CDU/CSU supporters, only 26 percent believe in a FDP comeback, while among AfD supporters, the figure stands at 29 percent. Furthermore, optimism is significantly lower in the East (18 percent) compared to the West (26 percent).
The polling institute Forsa surveyed 1,009 Germans for the report published by “Stern” and the broadcaster RTL on May 21 and 22, 2026.
